Blow switch operated toy



Feb; 21, 1939.. H. MULLER BLOW SWJITCH OPERATED TOY 'Filed Sept. 17, 1957 Arr) Patented Feb. 21, 1939 UNITED: STATES PATENT OFFICE Application September 17, 1937, Serial No. 164,400 7 In Germany August 2, 1937 14 Claims.

This invention relates to blow switch operated toys and more particularly to toys of this kind 'having the form of a toy-vehicle provided with spring-driven clockwork and a blow switch as had been described and claimed in a co-pending application for Letters Patent Serial No. 130,778, filed by me on the 13th of March 1937 and consists essentially in a further improved construction of said toy-vehicle. I

More particularly, my invention is concerned with aspecial improvement provided on a blow switch operated toy of the aforementioned kind; said toy including a transmission-gearing having a locking gear-wheel which is intermittently rotated upon actuation of a membrane forming part of saidblow switch, in such a manner that alternately a tooth or an interstice between adjacent teeth moves into the path of rotation of a stop-lever fast on a driven member of the springdriven clockwork.

Owing to the peculiar operation of blow switches for the control of the clockwork of toys or toy-vehicles, the operation of switching must take place essentially .without moving masses as otherwise there would be required relatively large forces for overcoming the inertia. For this reason. the membrane of the blow switch must be made from rather thin and light material which accordingly is of but little mechanical strength. In order to provide for safe and permanent operation of the blow switch and for effective control of the clockworkof thetoy, according to my invention the membrane of the blow switch is covered up by a protective grid or grate which prevents said membrane against being touched by the hand of theperson playing with the toy and, in addition, permits proper and effective access of the current of air to saidmembrane to operate said blow switch. In accordance with this, the operation of said membrane underneath said grid or grate will be effectedin a manner to be concealed from the eyes of the person or persons playing with the toy or of onlookers.

Since in this case it should also be possible to novel features -of my praent invention '1 pro- 'vide a special construction and arrangement of I the blow switch and especially of its membrane,

as more fully described herein and pointed out in the appended claims, said novel construction: and arrangement serving to efiect with a greater degree of certainty proper action of said membrane as well as proper control of the clockwork and of the toy as a whole.

Besides, I further provide possibilities for the blow switch to permit proper operating motion thereof within the casing of the toy, without, however, in any way impairing the appearance of the latter. 7

Although the blow switch represents a mechanism requiring adequate co-operation with the transmission-gearing to secure proper control and operation of the toy, no special work of precision will be necessary and the construction of the toy and its parts may be made of very simple taken on Fig. 1 with partly broken-away casq ing; Fig. 3 a partial side-view of the spring-driven clockwork together with the transmissiongearing and the hand-lever associated therewith; Fig. 4 an enlarged partial view of said transmission-gearing as seen in direction from the clockwork; Fig. 5 a partial side-view, partly in section, and Fig. 6 a front-view of said transmissiongearing.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the spring-driven clockwork I of the toy is mounted within the casing thereof, the frame of the clockwork carrying a bearing-axle 2 on which the membrane of the blow switch is shown as a double-armed lever carrying at its front end I a locking and releasing member H extending into a small and properly bent wire 28, while at its rear part said double-armed lever carries the membrane or blow-surface 4 having the form of a flat or preferably depressed plate in which latter case also a rim may be provided round said plate. Said membrane or plate 4 of the blow switch is mountedwithin the casing of the toy underneath a number of perforations or slitsv I provided therein. Said membrane 4 of the blow switch will thus be protected and concealed within the casing of the toy, while at the same time said perforations or slits will permit access of a current of air to said membrane 4 to operate the blow switch. The edges of said perforations or slits B are preferably bent towards the inside of the casing, so that said perforations or slits as a whole will have the appearance of a grid or grate provided in said casing above said membrane 4 of the blow switch. The blow switch which is mounted to permit suflicient operating motion may be operated by a current of air blown through said grid or grate formed by said perforations or slits 5 without in any way impairing the appearance of the toy or necessitating any undesirable changes thereon.

In view of the fact thatthe blow switch is concealed from view, being positioned within the casing, according to my invention I also provide means permitting to operate said blow switch by hand. For this purpose I further provide on the aforesaid bearing-axle 2 a hand-lever 6, the upper end thereof extending somewhat above said grid or grate 5 on the casing, while the under part of said lever 1 carries a counter-weight and is guided within the body of the toy.

The hand-lever 6 in the example described herein and shown in the drawing extends with its upper end or handle through an aperture in said double-armed lever which forms part of said blow switch and is provided with a projection or nose l5 positioned underneath the front arm 3 of said doublearmed lever and adapted to lift said arm 3 upon depression of said handlever 6, to effect an additional manual control of the blow switch. Moreover, by action of the counterweight 1 the hand-lever E upon being released will at any time again move automatically into inoperative position as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3.

The hand-lever ii with its counter-weight i does not need to positively co-operate with the l blow switch, it being also within the scope of my invention to arrange said hand-lever to lock and release immediately and independently of theblow switch the transmission-gearing comprising a switch-wheel 21 and a crown-wheel 26 both mounted rotatably at the front of the clockwork I.

In the one as well as inthe other case the hand-lever 6 with its counter-weight I is constructed and mounted to perform the function of a mechanically independent control-member and remains inoperative, whenever the membrane 4 of the blow switch is deflected subsequent to being actuated by a current of air passing through the grid or grate in the casing of the toy.

The transmission-gearing,- more particular] consists of a locking gear-wheel 26 in form of a crown-wheel having preferably rectangular teeth and accordingly rectangular interstices therebetween, and of a switch-wheel 2'! in the form of an ordinary toothed wheel, said wheels being either integral or, as shown in the drawing, fixedly I connected with each other.

seen especially from Figs. 4 and 6. Moreover,

the wire 28 supported by the arm 3 of the blow switch lever extends with its under bent end cooperating with the switch-wheel 21 through a properly shaped aperture II in a bearing-bridge I 12 mounted in front of the casing of the clockwork I. This aperture M in said bearing-bridge I2 serves to limit the operating stroke of the wire 28 in upward direction, therewith simultaneously fixing the swingingmotion of the blowswitch lever within the casing of the toy, without making use of the weak and thin membrane d of the blow switch for this purpose.

The crown-wheel 26 which forms part of the transmission-gearing serves to control a stoplevei' l3 consisting preferably of a resilient finger or wire fast on an axle 9 of the clockwork i, said axle 9 being preferably provided with a wind-plate, if this axle is the last one of the clockwork. In case said stop-lever l3 consists of a wire it may preferably be fixed to the axle 9, by winding said wire around said axle with a few .turns as shown particularly in Fig. 4. If now an interstice between the teeth of the crow-1 wheel 26 is positioned within the path of motion of said stop-lever it, the clockwork will be released to effect travelling motion of the toy. 0n the other hand, if a tooth of said crown-wheel 26 is positioned within the path of rotation of said stop-lever l3, rotation of the latter will be stopped to lock the clockwork and cause stands'.il1 of the toy. The alternate position of a tooth or of an interstice between teeth of the crownwheel 26 within or out of the path of rotation of said stop-lever it may thus be controlled at will either by actuating the blow switch by means of a current of air blown against the membrane 3 or by actuating said hand-lever 6. During such switching the front arm 3 of the double-armed therefore, the stop-lever l3 and therewith the clockwork may alternately be released or stopped to cause travel or standstill of the toy.

As the front arm 3 of the double-armed lever of the blow switch is somewhatheavier than the rear part 4, the blow switch will automatically assume its normal position shown in the drawing subsequent to every switching motion. The membrane 4 forming part of the blow switch will effectively catch the current of air blown thereagainst, especiaily if said membrane is of depressed conformation or provided with a rim, which will favorably assist and act upon the switching operation. Switching, however, may not only be effected by actuation of the blow switch, but also by actuation of the hand-lever 6, as desired, the latter acting either by way of the blow switch or also immediately onto the transmission-gearing as had above been described. Manual control of the toy may thus be efiected with certainty, as the blow switch itself is positioned underneath the protecting grid or grate 'in. the casing of the toy and thus prevented faga'fnst being immediately operated by hand or by pressure exerted thereonto by a finger.

The operation of switching as well as the mode of operation of the toy will be all the more interesting by providing the aforedescribed hand-lever in addition to the blow switch, because by this there will be given the possibility of stopping operation of the toy during winding-up the clock work by depressing the hand-lever without actuating the blow switch.

Thus, the attention of a person who is not familiar with the p culiar construction and operation of my present toy will be distracted from the fact that the operation oi the clockwork of the toy may be initiated or stopped, besides by depressing the hand-lever, by speaking or blow- 5, ing against the blow switch.

' As the upper arm H of the locking and releasingwire 28 carried by the front end 3 of the blow switch lever locks the transmission-gearing when.

engaging with the switch-wheel 21, the bearing axle 25 ot the transmission-gearing is of a relatively large diameter with the result that a large surface friction will arise between said axle and the bearing-bridge l2, this friction on account oi its braking action assisting in the stopping oi the freely rotatable transmission-gearing.

The blow switch may also be constructed in form 01' a single-armed lever instead of in the form of a double-armed lever as shown in the drawing, it being only essential in the sense'ofmy invention that this switch is provided with a,

is of course so arranged that it will act in like efilcient manner during forward as well as during rearward travel of the toy.

I aim: 1. A y, comprising a clockwork and double control means therefor, said double control means consisting 01 a blow switch and of a handlever, either means being adapted to lock or release said clockwork. 2. A toy comprising a clockwork, a blow switch,

blow switch and said clockwork, said transmission-gearing being under control or said blow switch to alternately release and lock said clockwork, and a protective grid or grate for said blow switch-to prevent touching of said blow switch by hand, but to permit access of a current of air through said grid or grate for actuating said blow switch. e 3. A toy as specified by claim 2, including, in 59 addition to the blow-switch, a hand-lever adapted V to lock.or release said transmission-gearing arid therewith said clockwork independently of said blow switch.

,. v4:. A toy as specified by claim 2, including a casing in which said protective grid or grate is provided by perforations, slits or the like.

5. A toy as specified by claim 2, including, in

addition to the blow switch, a hand-lever adapted to lock or release said transmission-gearing and therewith said clockwork, ma hand-lever being in operative connection with said blowswitch 'to act onto said transmission-gearingbw; y or said and a transmission-gearing intermediate said ,byclaim 2, u'i' wmcn the a swingable lever and cl 9. locking and releasing member connected thereto to lock and release a switch-wheel forming part of said transmissiongearing upon actuation of said blow switch.

7. A toy as specified by claim 2, in which the blow'switch consists of a membrane carried by a swingable lever and of a locking and releasing member connected thereto to lock and release said transmiss'iomgearing upon actuation of said blow-switch, said locking and releasing member 10 being further adapted to limit the swinging mo tion of said membrane.

8. A toy as specified by claim 2, in which the transmission-gearing includes a gear-wheel adapted to lock and release a finger mounted on 15 an axle forming part of theclockwork.

9. A toy as specified by claim 1, including a transmission-gearing controlled by said double control means, said transmission-gearing comprising a locking and releasing gear-wheel 20 adapted to alternately stop or release a lever fast on a driven axle of said clockwork.

10. A toy as specified by claim 1', in which the blow switch consists of a swingably mounted single-armed lever and of a membrane carried 25 clockwork.

12. A toy as specified by claim 1, includinga transmission-gearing interposed between said double control means, said transmission-gearing 5 comprising a switch-wheel, a locking and releasing wheel and a bearing axle for both of said wheels, said bearing axle having a relatively large diameter to produce a relatively large surfacerotated thereby 'step by step by successive im- 45 pulses imparted to said control member, a mem- Y ,ber rotatable by said spring motor and means responsive to the step by step movement or said ratchet wheel for alternately blocking and unblocking the rotation of said rotatable member, whereby successive impulses on said control member will cause alternate arrest and release of said spring motor.

14. A toy comprising a casing, a clockwork in said casing, double control means for said clock- 55. work, said double control means consisting or a blow switch and of a hand lever, either means --belng adapted to lock or release said clockwork,

and a protective grid or grate for said blow switch formed by. perforations, slits or the like in said casing, to prevent touching of said blow'switch by hand but to permit access of a current of air through said grid or grate'ior actuating said blow switch. 66

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